iOS 12 to Feature Automatic Location Sharing for 911 Calls
After pissing off law enforcement with its announcement that iOS 12 will include a tool intended to circumvent cracking…
Why 9/11 Truthers Are Obsessed With the Plasco High-Rise Fire in Tehran
On January 19th, 2017, the Plasco building, a 17-story steel high-rise in Tehran, caught fire. The blaze began on one…
Citizen, the Creepy Crime-Fighting App Formerly Known as Vigilante, Somehow Gets $12.2 Million
Citizen, the extremely dubious rebranding of Vigilante—an app which notifies users of 911 reports near them and…
Smart Device Breaks Up Domestic Dispute By Calling the Police [Correction]
We’re gradually learning that smart home devices can be quite valuable for police. Following a recent case in which Amaz…
iOS 10.3 Won't Robocall 911 Anymore
Apple released iOS 10.3 this week, and in addition to a new file system and a built-in “Find My AirPods” app, the new…
A Four-Year-Old Boy Used Siri to Save His Unconscious Mother’s Life
When a young boy identified only as Roman couldn’t wake up his unconscious mother, he did what any astute,…
Two Dead After T-Mobile 'Ghost Calls' Flood 911 Center in Texas
T-Mobile is just the latest mobile carrier to deal with problematic 911 calls, but this time, the problems are bad.…
iPhone Bug Can Force Phones to Repeatedly Call 911
Last month, we covered the arrest of a teenager who utilized a bug to spread a malicious link on Twitter that forced…
Teen Arrested After Forcing Phones to Call 911 Nonstop
Meetkumar Hiteshbhai Desai, 18, was arrested on three counts of felony computer tampering after allegedly sending out a…
Store Is Very Sorry for Exploiting 9/11 With Its 'Twin Tower Sale' Commercial
In a deeply regrettable attempt to cash in on human tragedy using viral video magic, a company called Miracle Mattress…
John Oliver Thinks 911 Needs a Tech Overhaul
Many of the call centers that handle your emergency calls are powered by out-dated technology. John Oliver thinks…
The Last Pieces of the Destroyed Twin Towers Are Leaving New York City
The memorial is finished, the tower replacing it is occupied, and the museum is open—for better or for worse. Today,…
Research Reveals Butt Dials Caused a Huge Spike In San Francisco 911 Calls
San Francisco recently reported that its 911 system has experienced an incredible increase in calls since 2011. Was it…
This Week's io9 Newsstand Is Not Just About 9/11
This morning, The New Yorker heralded the arrival of Speculative 9/11 Fiction with trepidation, calling the trend…
Why Does Asking Siri to Charge Your Phone Call the Cops?
Utter the words—and we don’t suggest you do—“charge my phone 100 percent” to Siri, and your iPhone will try and call…
Carl Sagan's Son Is a 9/11 Truther
Carl Sagan is arguably science's biggest rockstar—the ultimate champion for logic and reason. Which makes it all the…
Wingdings Predicted 9/11: A Truther's Tale
In 1992, mere days after Windows 3.1 was released, it was revealed that typing the letters NYC in Wingdings—Microsoft’s…
Larry Ellison's Oracle Started As a CIA Project
Yesterday, Vox somehow managed to write an entire article about the history of Oracle and its founder Larry Ellison…
"I have had a bad day"
22 Words found this little clip by Mark LaGanga, recorded just after the first World Trade Center tower fell on…
Why You Still Can't Text 911
Just this past Friday, the FCC voted to require all mobile carriers and "interconnected text providers" (i.e. iMessage)…